Vitex? Chasteberry? Chastetree? Chances are you haven’t heard of any of these, but perhaps this European herb is the answer to your fertility problems! Vitex is a shrub that is found mainly in Greece, and the berries are the most useful part of the plant. This particular herb has been used for hundreds and hundreds of years in the practice of herbal medicine — specifically for gynecological purposes. In fact, it has the title of being “one of the most popular herbs of Europe”. Vitex is, without a doubt, one of the most useful fertility herbs in the world!
I am sure we have all had experience with those harsh, artificial drugs that force our bodies to do things it doesn’t want to. The good news, though, is that Vitex simply isn’t like that; it’s quite the opposite, actually. Vitex, also called Chasteberry/Chastetree, is known as a “harmonizing” herb — it improves bodily functions by working with the body rather than against it. Vitex does not contain hormones of its own; instead it supports and nourishes hormones of the body. That said, this particular herb requires some patience to see results, as this herb is all about ‘quality’ rather than immediacy and changes the body over time.
With that in mind, let’s dig into the fun part! “What makes this herb so special?” As stated before, this medicinal herb is a harmonizer. Vitex’s main effect is on the pituitary gland — normalizing hormone production, maximizing chemical signals to the ovaries, and regulating menstrual cycles. However, as great as that all is, many would say that Vitex’s most awe-inspiring effect is actually on progesterone levels. Progesterone refers to a steroid hormone, produced by the corpus luteum, that stimulates the uterus in preparation for pregnancy. This herb has a reputation for increasing and normalizing the levels of this hormone and also increasing the health of the uterine system. Sounds pretty enticing, doesn’t it? This herb also provides protection from miscarriage. This makes sense though, if you think about it; for a common cause of miscarriage is low Progesterone levels, which then causes a decrease in uterine health.
But there’s even more! Vitex is said to help ease Premenstrual Syndrome (infact, 84% of women using this herb reported improvement) and also helps reverse Endometriosis and Amenorrhea (the absence of a menstrual cycle). Amazingly, 65% of users reported the return of their cycle by the end of 6 months of use.
With all of the wonderful benefits this herb can provide the body, it’s easy to want to continue taking it forever, but it’s important if conception occurs to discontinue use within the first trimester. Why? Because Vitex is also used to help stimulate lactation in new mothers and if used extensively after conceiving, this could lead to premature lactation.
Vitex can be found in many forms: tincture, dry herb, capsule, tea. The herb itself has a bold, bitter flavor – some people love this in a tea — others just can’t tolerate the flavor and opt for a capsule. Any means of ingestion will work as well as another. Before you supplement we recommend having your hormone levels tested with the DUTCH test.
Book your free Supercharge Your Fertility Discovery call. We’ll come up with a simple plan to help you move forward…towards your dream of having your baby.
Sarah Clark empowers couples to discover how lifestyle and diet can dramatically impact their chances of conceiving. She was diagnosed with premature ovarian failure at 28 and had both her kids with donor eggs. Not until years later did she discover that the root cause of her infertility was a food intolerance. Ready to gaze into your baby’s eyes….but struggling. Download 10 step Checklist here
